Aboriginal Identity

Overall

According to 2016 Census data, 4% or 24,115 of the Simcoe Muskoka population reported identifying themselves with at least one Aboriginal group.

Of these, 11,440 reported a First Nations (North American Indian) identity only, just over 11,700 reported a Métis identity only, about 150 reported an Inuk (Inuit) identity only, 415 reported having more than one aboriginal identity and 385 reported other aboriginal identities.

In comparison, 3% (374,395) of Ontarian residents reported having an Aboriginal identity.

As may be expected, the highest percentage of the population identifying as Aboriginal in Simcoe County and the District of Muskoka resided on reserves including Christian Island, Mnjikaning First Nation 32, and Moose Point. Off-reserve municipalities with the highest percentage of the population self-identifying as Aboriginal included Penetanguishene (18.5% or 1,545 people) and Midland (14.3% or 2,330 people) in Simcoe County and Georgian Bay (13.3% or 330 people) in the District of Muskoka.
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By Age

Among those who reported Aboriginal identity, the median age is 35 years in the County of Simcoe and 30 years in the District of Muskoka. This is younger than the median age of the total population, which is 42 years in Simcoe County and 47 years in Muskoka District according to the 2016 Census.

Aboriginal children aged 14 and under made up 23% (or 4,435) of the total Aboriginal population and 5% of all children in Simcoe Muskoka. About 7% (or 1,290) of the total Aboriginal populations were seniors aged 65 and over, compared to the total population in Simcoe Muskoka where 16% (or 82,480) were seniors aged 65 and over. Therefore the Aboriginal senior population makes up about 2% of all seniors in Simcoe Muskoka.

By Mother Tongue

Mother tongue refers to the first language learned at home in childhood and still understood by the individual at the time of the Census.

According to the 2011 Census, among those who identify themselves as Aboriginal in Simcoe Muskoka, 89% (or over 17,000) reported English and 9% (or 1,650) reported French as their mother tongue. Among the 2% who reported a single non-official language as their mother tongue, 420 people reported this to be an Aboriginal language – most being Ojibway.

Among the approximately 300,000 Ontario residents with an Aboriginal identity, 5% (or 15,500) report their sole mother tongue is a non-official language, with close to 14,000 of those reporting this as an Aboriginal language. Over half 57% (or 7,850) identified Ojibway, 3,420 identified Cree (not otherwise specified), and 2,210 identified Oji-Cree as their mother tongue.

Note: For the official languages of English and French, the calculations presented here include both single and multiple responses to the question: What is the language that this person first learned at home in childhood and still understands? Totals may not equal 100% due to this and also due to rounding.

By Home Language

Home language refers to the language spoken most often or on a regular basis at home at the time of the Census.

In Simcoe Muskoka, among those who identified themselves as Aboriginal in the 2011 Census, 98% (or over 18,000) reported they spoke English and 2% (or 470) reported they spoke French most often at home. Among the 0.3% who selected a single non-official language as their home language, 50 people reported this to be an Aboriginal language.

In comparison, among those who identified themselves as Aboriginal in Ontario, 2% (or approximately 5,200) selected a single non-official language as their home language in the 2011 Census; of these, more than 4,400 people reported this language to be Aboriginal.

Note: For the official languages of English and French, the calculations presented here include both single and multiple responses to the questions: What language does this person speak most often at home?Does this person speak any other languages on a regular basis at home? Totals may not equal 100% due to this and also due to rounding.

By Education

In Simcoe Muskoka, a higher percentage of people age 25 to 64 who identified themselves as being Aboriginal reported having no certificate, diploma or degree (20% or 2,010) as compared to the overall Simcoe Muskoka population (12% or 33,450). In addition, fewer reported having a post secondary certificate, diploma or degree (51% or 5,210) compared to the overall Simcoe Muskoka population (59% or about 157,900).

By Employment

In 2011, 65% (or about 9,500) of those 15 years and older who reported Aboriginal identity were part of the labour force in Simcoe Muskoka. Over half 57% (or 8,430) were employed, similar to the overall population in Simcoe Muskoka with 60% (or 245,680).

In comparison, the unemployment rate in Simcoe Muskoka for those 15 years and older who identify as Aboriginal was higher than the unemployment rate for the overall population 15 years and over in Simcoe Muskoka, 12% and 8% respectively.

By Median Income (after tax)

According to the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS)[GB1] , the 2010 median after-tax income for those 15 years and older who reported Aboriginal identity was very similar between Simcoe County and Muskoka District at $21,981 and $21,145 respectively. In comparison, the 2010 median after-tax income for the total population ages 15 years and over in Simcoe County and District of Muskoka was $28,238 and $26,074 respectively.

By Low Income

In Simcoe Muskoka, 19% (or 3,310) of the population that reported Aboriginal identity were living with low income in 2010, based on the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) Low Income Measure after tax (LIM-AT). This is a higher percentage compared to Simcoe Muskoka’s overall population living with low income reported in the NHS (11% or just over 56,000 people). Across Ontario, 24% (or 59,455) of those that identified themselves as Aboriginal were living in low income in 2010.